Mail-crane.



I. LIGHT. MAIL '.GRANE. APPLICATION FILED APB.. 30. 190B.

Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

Ct; J

M Atom e/z/ SAFE@ UNI ISRAEL LIGHT, 0F BROOK, INDIANA.

IVIAIL-CRANE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 9, 1909.

Application led April 30, 1908. Serial No. 430,049.

To ail whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ISRAEL LIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brook, in the county of Newton and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Mail- Crane, of which the following is aspecification.

This i1 vention relates to improvements in mail cranes, the object being to provide a simple, economical and efficient device of the kind at mail stations along the line of a railway, which will hold the mail pouch in such a manner as to be automatically released when the same comes in contact with the inail catcher now in common use on mail cars.

The invention consists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a broken elevation of the device holding its mail pouch ready for contact with the mail catcher; Fig. 2 is a front view without the pouch showing how the supporting standards gradually diverge as they approach their base. Fig. 3 is a perspective of a portion of the upper arm showing its pivotal and coupling connections. Fig. I is a similar view of the lower arm. Fig. 5 is a detail of the coupling employed between the upper arm and link attached to same. Fig. 6 is a detail of one portion of t-he jaw of the pouch holder proper. Fig. 7 is a view of the spring actuating the aforesaid j aw portion in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a view of the other portion of the jaw of the pouch holder proper.

Like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout.

The reference numeral 2 represents a double standard composed of two uprights rising from a base 3, held together by braces 4c, further secured to their base by supports 5 and gradually converging as they rise from said base.

6 and 7 represent, respectively, the upper and lower arms of the mail crane pivotally arranged in the standard 2 and connected by links 8 and 9 which are coupled to one another at point 10. Arm 6 is fulcrumed on a boss 12a depending therefrom so that when said arm is swung downwardly it will occupy the position shown in dotted lines and will lie outside of, that is not between, the uprights comprising standard 2. A hinge joint connects link 8, which is threaded in order that the arm couplings may be adjusted, with arin 6.

11 is a rod extending from a lug 12 on arm 6 over a boss 13 to a point on said arm approximately midway between its fulcrum and opposite extremity for the purpose of giving said arm greater rigidity and strength.

i V-shaped depending portion 14; carried on arm 7 is provided at its vertex with a suitable coupling 15 for link 9, said coupling 15 lying, with reference to the coupled extremity of arm 6, beyond the line of centers of the two arlns 6 and 7. The superior weight of the upper arm section between the arm fulcrum and the pouch extremity of said arm over the section between the fulcrum and the coupled extremity causes a constant upward pull on the connecting links, one of which is thrown against the recessed portion 16il of arm 7 this arrangement holding the crane rigidly in position and the addition of any weight such as a mail pouch or any other matter to the pouch extremity of the upper arm will naturally tend to increase this rigidity. "When the crane is notin use the if-shaped portion of the lower arm may be moved by hand to the position shown in dotted lines which will cause the upper arm to take the position shown for it in dotted lines and lie parallel to the standard 2 but not between the lateral members thereof.

The longer or pouch extremity of either arm of the crane is provided with a reversible pouch holder designed to be attached to either arm and formed of a narrow strip 17 fastened at that extremity as shown, said strip terminating in a tip 18 curved toward the arm and having prongs 19 with eyes therein extending in the opposite direction.

A trigger 20 is fulcrumed by its shank on a pvot running through the eyes in the prongs 19 and a finger 21 actuated thereby and made integral therewith registers, through the pressure of a spring 22 which separates trigger 20 from strip 17, with the curved tip 18, forming a jaw for the retention of the pouch ring. By pressing trigger 20 toward strip 17 the aforesaid aw may be opened and the pouch ring inserted. When the pouch is held in the crane as shown in Fig. 1 contact with the same by the mail catcher very readily releases the pouch rings from the jaws or pouch holders.

When the crane is ut rest und it is desired to place the same in position one pouch ring may be placed in the uw of the upper arm when the ower arm may be manually moved to its horizontal position when its connections with the upper arm will move it to u similar position and the lower pouch ring may be inserted in the j aw therefor.

Vhat is claimed is l. In a mail crane, a standard, antipper and lower arm 'ulcrumed therein, a depending portion carried by said lower arm, u coupling carried by said depending` portion und lying without the line of centers ci the aforesaid arms, links connecting` said ooup- ,l ling` and the upper arm und reversible pouch holders carried by said arms.

2. A Collapsible mail crane comprising a standard whose lateral members converge as 1 they rise from the base, a pair of arms pivotally arranged therein, a depending .member'with coupling carried by one of said arms and lyingl beyond their line of centers, connection between said coupling and the other arm, n. strip 17 with curved tip and prongs 19 secured to either arm, a spring actuated trigger and finger fulcrumed in said prongs, said finger with the before mentioned curved tip forming a jaw for the retention and automatic release of the pouch ring'.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own l have hereto aiiXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ISRAEL LIGHT. litnesses FRANK DAVIS, O. B. STONEHILL. 

